diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 3129a9a..ca44206 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
 *.pyc
+*.pyo
 build
 dist
+tags
diff --git a/asyncmongo/backends/tornado_backend.py b/asyncmongo/backends/tornado_backend.py
index 91af0df..0c7d1a3 100644
--- a/asyncmongo/backends/tornado_backend.py
+++ b/asyncmongo/backends/tornado_backend.py
@@ -28,6 +28,13 @@ def __init__(self, socket, **kwargs):
         """
         self.__stream = tornado.iostream.IOStream(socket, **kwargs)
 
+    @property
+    def io_loop(self):
+        return self.__stream.io_loop
+
+    def connect(self, address, callback=None):
+        self.__stream.connect(address, callback)
+
     def write(self, data):
         self.__stream.write(data)
     
diff --git a/asyncmongo/connection.py b/asyncmongo/connection.py
index 500e57d..b7a97ed 100644
--- a/asyncmongo/connection.py
+++ b/asyncmongo/connection.py
@@ -19,11 +19,15 @@
 import struct
 import logging
 from types import NoneType
+import time
 
 from errors import ProgrammingError, IntegrityError, InterfaceError
 import helpers
 import asyncjobs
 
+ASYNC_BACKEND_TORNADO = 'tornado'
+ASYNC_BACKEND_GLIB2   = 'glib2'
+ASYNC_BACKEND_GLIB3   = 'glib3'
 
 class Connection(object):
     """
@@ -35,6 +39,10 @@ class Connection(object):
       - `autoreconnect` (optional): auto reconnect on interface errors
       - `rs`: replica set name (required when replica sets are used)
       - `seed`: seed list to connect to a replica set (required when replica sets are used)
+      - `connect_timeout`: timeout for initial connection to mongodb, float data, in seconds
+      - `request_timeout`: timeout for entire request to mongodb, float data, in seconds
+      - `life_time`: life time for connection to mongodb, float data, in
+        seconds, 0 or None for unlimited
       - `secondary_only`: (optional, only useful for replica set connections)
          if true, connect to a secondary member only
       - `**kwargs`: passed to `backends.AsyncBackend.register_stream`
@@ -47,9 +55,12 @@ def __init__(self,
                  dbpass=None,
                  autoreconnect=True,
                  pool=None,
-                 backend="tornado",
+                 backend=ASYNC_BACKEND_TORNADO,
                  rs=None,
                  seed=None,
+                 connect_timeout=20.0,
+                 request_timeout=20.0,
+                 life_time=60.0,
                  secondary_only=False,
                  **kwargs):
         assert isinstance(autoreconnect, bool)
@@ -68,6 +79,9 @@ def __init__(self,
             assert isinstance(port, int)
             assert seed is None
         
+        assert connect_timeout > 0
+        assert isinstance(request_timeout, (float, int, NoneType))
+
         self._host = host
         self._port = port
         self.__rs = rs
@@ -83,7 +97,13 @@ def __init__(self,
         self.__kwargs = kwargs
         self.__backend = self.__load_backend(backend)
         self.__job_queue = []
+        self.__backend_class = backend
         self.usage_count = 0
+        self.__request_timeout = request_timeout
+        self.__min_timeout = min(connect_timeout, request_timeout)
+        self.__life_time = life_time
+        self.__timeout = None
+        self.__start_time = time.time()
         self.__connect()
 
     def __load_backend(self, name):
@@ -106,13 +126,47 @@ def _socket_connect(self):
         """create a socket, connect, register a stream with the async backend"""
         self.usage_count = 0
         try:
+            self.__start_time = time.time()
+
             s = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM, 0)
-            s.connect((self._host, self._port))
-            self.__stream = self.__backend.register_stream(s, **self.__kwargs)
+
+            if ASYNC_BACKEND_TORNADO == self.__backend_class:
+                self.__stream = self.__backend.register_stream(s, **self.__kwargs)
+                if self.__min_timeout:
+                    self.__timeout = self.__stream.io_loop.add_timeout(
+                            self.__start_time + self.__min_timeout,
+                            self._on_timeout)
+                self.__stream.connect((self._host, self._port), self._on_connect)
+            else:
+                s.connect((self._host, self._port))
+                self.__stream = self.__backend.register_stream(s, **self.__kwargs)
+
             self.__stream.set_close_callback(self._socket_close)
             self.__alive = True
         except socket.error, error:
             raise InterfaceError(error)
+
+    def _release_timeout(self):
+        if self.__timeout is not None:
+            self.__stream.io_loop.remove_timeout(self.__timeout)
+            self.__timeout = None
+
+    def _on_timeout(self):
+        self.__timeout = None
+        self.close()
+
+    def _on_connect(self):
+        self._release_timeout()
+
+        if self.__request_timeout:
+            self.__timeout = self.__stream.io_loop.add_timeout(
+                    self.__start_time + self.__request_timeout,
+                    self._on_timeout)
+
+        if self.__life_time:
+            self.__stream.io_loop.add_timeout(
+                    self.__start_time + self.__life_time,
+                    self._on_timeout)
     
     def _socket_close(self):
         """cleanup after the socket is closed by the other end"""
@@ -151,6 +205,11 @@ def send_message(self, message, callback):
         self._put_job(asyncjobs.AsyncMessage(self, message, callback), 0)
         self._next_job()
         
+        if self.__request_timeout:
+            self.__timeout = self.__stream.io_loop.add_timeout(
+                    time.time() + self.__request_timeout,
+                    self._on_timeout)
+
     def _put_job(self, job, pos=None):
         if pos is None:
             pos = len(self.__job_queue)
@@ -186,6 +245,8 @@ def _send_message(self, message, callback):
         # return self.__request_id 
     
     def _parse_header(self, header):
+        self._release_timeout()
+
         # return self.__receive_data_on_socket(length - 16, sock)
         length = int(struct.unpack("<i", header[:4])[0])
         request_id = struct.unpack("<i", header[8:12])[0]
@@ -201,6 +262,9 @@ def _parse_header(self, header):
             raise
     
     def _parse_response(self, response):
+        if self.__callback is None:
+            return
+
         callback = self.__callback
         request_id = self.__request_id
         self.__request_id = None